Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Creating and Using XML-Based Internal Documents?

Posted by Cliff on from the getting-things-organized-right-from-the-start dept.

Richard Emberson asks: "Once again into the breech...or at least the ground floor in a new startup. This time around, I would like to have all of the Engineering documentation internally online: a unified, internal, CVS-ed, web-based, development organization document tree covering the engineering process, methodology, coding standards, nightly build/test reports, FAQs, new hire information and help pages and the documentation for each project. Recently I've written documentation (on Linux of course) using the Apache XML-stylebook tags, stylesheets, and Ant-base publishing - and I like it. So my questions are: Has anyone done this and, if so, how were the links between documents managed?" Does your workplace use XML in its internal documentation? If so, how well does your system work, and what advice would you pass on to anyone else attempting something similar?

"If you start out with only one project (product), how do you structure it so that when new projects come into existence they can easily be integrated? Are there documentation templates out there upon which I can base the various development documents (like requirements, product development plan, design, coding walk-thru standards, etc.) and not have any of this swell too be so large that no one will be able to produce, maintain or read it?"

6 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. XML by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    XML is a complement to HTML
    XML is not a replacement for HTML.

    It is important to understand that XML is not a replacement for HTML. In future Web development it is most likely that XML will be used to describe the data, while HTML will be used to format and display the same data.

    My best description of XML is as a cross-platform, software and hardware independent tool for transmitting information

  2. Javadoc by t00tie · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    Javadoc is great for code comments - but kinda lacks "external" documentation. Especially stuff like "How to set up the development and production environments". Do consider using a similar directory tree for documentation as for code.

    t00t TooT

    --
    I asked my closed-source vendor about ubiqitous computing.
    He answered "Oh no! You-not-be-quit-us!"
  3. Re:Doc Book by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    what more could you ask?

    How about the use of periods to separate sentences?

  4. Re:Doc Book by skwog · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Burritos. I could ask for burritos. :)

    --


    You can laugh without eating a sandwhich, but you can do both if bring one.
  5. Re:run for your lives! it's... by stevew · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    this is a BIG jpg that is just a picture of S Ballmer sitting down. Don't bother.

    --
    Have you compiled your kernel today??
  6. Re:Nobody Uses XML by pubjames · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    You are so ignorant about technology you don't deserve to consider yourself part of the 'Slashdot community'.